Incidents of violence against citizens in public places are hitting the headlines more and more frequently, and Ionia County is not immune.

Situations like last summer's shooting on Main Street in Ionia, in which two people were injured and the gunman was killed, and the shooting in Belding Jan. 5, in which the gunman was killed after firing at a police car and then at police, are reminders that active violence can and does happen on the community's streets. Such attacks can take place anywhere, and the sooner law enforcement intercedes, the fewer lives will be lost and the fewer injuries sustained.

That's the idea behind the Ionia County Critical Incident Team’s (ICCIT) active shooter incident training, which is offered annually for law enforcement officers throughout the county. The goal is preparedness, said Det. Sgt. Charlie Noll of the Ionia County Sheriff’s Office.

Noll brought the training to the county four years ago after he heard about a similar collaboration between agencies in Eaton, Ingham and Clinton counties. The ICCIT, which conducts the training, is composed of eight members from the ICSO and four from the Ionia Department of Public Safety.

The training was held Jan. 3 and 4 at the Ionia High School, while students and staff were on winter break. Officers from most of the law enforcement agencies in the county, and one from the Department of Natural Resources, spent 10 hours each day preparing to work together if and when they are called to another active shooter incident in Ionia County, said Noll.

“The training provides basic tools for officers to work together to handle threats as efficiently and as fluidly as we can, without training every day, which isn’t feasible,” said Noll. “Officers work together to know what they have to do, and are trained to do it swiftly.”

The active shooter incident training includes some classroom time, in which officers learn about people who perpetrate public violence and how they typically go about planning their crimes. But most of the time is spent in drills practicing scenarios they may encounter on the job in schools, large stores, businesses and other buildings where groups of people congregate.

"They learn the formations, and who does what. Having the knowledge improves response time and improves the effectiveness of the team," Noll said. "The goal is to stop the perpetrator as quickly as possible.”

One of the reasons there were so many deaths in the shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., Noll said, was that officers on the scene waited for SWAT, which is trained to handle these incidents, to arrive before taking action.

“The sooner law enforcement acts, the less chance people will be hurt or killed,” Noll said.

Page 2 of 2 - Officers are trained to ensure the safety of the public first, and put their own safety second. In the case of an active shooter, sometimes deadly force is necessary to stop the perpetrator. Shooting someone in the leg to try to stop them is often ineffective and too risky.

"If you do that, he can keep coming at you. When the person has a gun or a knife, he may kill more innocent people, and he may kill you,” Noll said.

Another benefit of the training is building confidence between officers responding to the scene.

“It’s human nature – you want the security of knowing someone has your back,” Noll said. “When we all train together and work together, you know how people will react. The training gives you the confidence that everyone will do what they need to do.”

Noll said active shooter incidents are different from crimes of passion or spontaneous acts of violence. Studies show that perpetrators go through certain steps to plan their crime, whether those stages are over a period of months or days.

Research also has shown that there are some similarities in behaviors exhibited by perpetrators of these types of crimes, he added. They tend to disconnect from their social network of family and friends, hanging out alone in their room or in the house by themselves. They may make "really odd statements,” or talk about a strong disagreement they have with a business, school, government or an organization in the area. Drug or alcohol use can play a role. They also may show an interest in death, or in killing or hurting others.

"These are some pretty key ideals that these individuals have shown before they commit these kinds of crimes," Noll said.

Citizens can assist law enforcement by reporting when they notice that someone is acting strangely or out of character, he said.